10/13/2001
No. 8 Vikings Upend No. 6 Mohawk Valley, 1-0

Playing In Regular-Season Finale, Gass Scores Game-WinnerAnd Kowalczyk Picks Up His Fifth Shutout Of The Year

La Salle Institute, October 13 – The
Hudson Valley Community College men's soccer team hosted national powerhouse
Mohawk Valley Community College today and walked away with a hard-fought
1-0 victory. Hudson Valley is now 12-3 overall. Mohawk Valley is 11-3 overall.

"We knew we were in for a tough one," said Hudson
Valley coach John Meehan.

Mohawk Valley entered the Mountain Valley Conference
game ranked sixth in the nation among Division III junior colleges. The
Vikings, who feature 23 Section II players on their roster, hold down the
No. 8 spot.

"Defense is the key to winning championships," said
assistant coach Mickey Levernois.

So, utilizing a physical style of play, the Vikings
refused to let Mohawk Valley get on the scoreboard. The physical action
took a toll on both teams in the early going, though, as scoring opportunities
were few and far between.

But the Vikings pressed the entire game, registering
25 shots on goal, and late in the first half, Ian Gass (Guilderland
H.S.) tapped a shot into the right corner of Mohawk Valley's net. Edward
Papandrea (Maple Hill H.S.) and Chris Mahigian (Tamarac H.S.)
assisted on the game-winning goal.

"We proved to ourselves that we can play with anyone,"
Mahigian said.

"We played awesome, we have no slackers on this team,"
Meehan said.

While the Vikings have used a variety of lineups
this season, experiencing success with all of them, second-year goalkeeper
Stanley Kowalczyk (Florida) has been a constant. Against Mohawk
Valley, he recorded 16 saves and picked up his fifth shutout of the year.

This season, the Vikings, no strangers to big games,
also have defeated Macomb Community College, then the No. 5 Division III
team in the nation, and Broome Community College, then the No. 13 team
in the nation.

"Hopefully this win gives us a good shot at the No.-2
seed," said Meehan when asked where he thinks the Vikings will be seeded
in the upcoming NJCAA Division III Region III playoffs. The tournament
begins Tuesday and the seedings will be announced Monday morning. "Either
way, we're having fun and playing with clear heads."

"I like our chances," said Levernois.
"We have solid defenders and a great bench."